Jessie Owens....

[Sassy]

Did anyone see the program about Jessie Owens and the Olympics before  the 2nd world war where he won 4 Gold Medals.

No invitation to the White house because he was black. He even had to use the back entrance to attend a dinner held in his honour. To earn a living he has to perform stunts like racing against horses to raise money to feed him family.

Jessie died in 1980 aged 77 years but his wife died in 2001 having seen the wages and the money earned by those Gold medal winners.


I found it sad and disgusting that such a man was treated so badly by a so called great USA.

The film they have made about his life, his daughters believed the saddest part was having to use the back entrance to attend the dinner given in his honour. 

Too little too late, as usual...

[floo]

If Donald Trump wins the presidency maybe that sort of ghastly racism might be commonplace once more.

[Brownie]

A shameful business Sass.  He achieved so much and became something of an icon.  A great role model, he proved that the human spirit can rise above institutionalised racism.

The singer, Nat King Cole, experienced great prejudice, even his dog was shot in his garden.  Sammy Davis Jnr too, it was only his powerful friend, Sinatra, who insisted on Davis staying in the same hotels etc, but he couldn't do everything or be with him 24/7.  Davis had a very bad time in the army too.

Thank God things are so much better and we have seen great strides in our life times.  Still a way to go of course, we must never be complacent but - there is a black president in the White House.  How pleased would Jesse Owens be about that.

[BeRational]

Did anyone see the program about Jessie Owens and the Olympics before  the 2nd world war where he won 4 Gold Medals.

No invitation to the White house because he was black. He even had to use the back entrance to attend a dinner held in his honour. To earn a living he has to perform stunts like racing against horses to raise money to feed him family.

Jessie died in 1980 aged 77 years but his wife died in 2001 having seen the wages and the money earned by those Gold medal winners.


I found it sad and disgusting that such a man was treated so badly by a so called great USA.

The film they have made about his life, his daughters believed the saddest part was having to use the back entrance to attend the dinner given in his honour. 

Too little too late, as usual...

There was a question on QI sometime ago, about which leader failed to meet him. Hitler did meet him apparently, but not his own President.

That says a lot!

[Shaker]

There was a question on QI sometime ago, about which leader failed to meet him. Hitler did meet him apparently, but not his own President.

That says a lot!

I thought of that too.

[Brownie]

I didn't know that, I knew that Hitler was highly affronted that Jesse Owens was competing (probably even more so when he proved to be such a star), but not that he met him.  We can speculate about why he met him, maybe he felt he had to in the same way that he met all other medalists.  We'll never know.

[jeremyp]

I didn't know that, I knew that Hitler was highly affronted that Jesse Owens was competing (probably even more so when he proved to be such a star), but not that he met him.  We can speculate about why he met him, maybe he felt he had to in the same way that he met all other medalists.  We'll never know.

Owens was competing in the Berlin Olympics. IT wouldn't be surprising if a four time gold medalist met the head of state of the host country.

The Wikipedia article implies there is some doubt that Hitler and Owens actually met.

[Brownie]

Not meeting him was a gross discourtesy, not only to Mr Owen but to the United States.  I'm thinking with a 21C head of course.

[ippy]

You should be a white parent of two black sons and hear some of the things said when in all white company, it's happened to me in the past but hardly ever now, the world is becoming a much better place in this area and at a rate of knots, thank goodness.

ippy